Existing portable mobile station apparatuses comprise a user interface that includes a keypad portion comprising several keys for employing the apparatus to be used by users, for instance for selecting a telephone number or for performing other functions, like showing the telephone numbers or other data stored in the memory.
What is known from prior art portable mobile station apparatuses is the use of the locking function of the keys to prevent the apparatus from functioning when the keys are unintentionally pressed down for instance during transportation or when the user himself/herself accidentally presses the keys. Pressing down a key or keys typically locks the keys. Such a prior art locking function of the keys is described in EP publication 453089. When the locking function is switched on in the method described in said publication, the function of all other keys except for the ones releasing the locking function is prevented, and it is still possible to answer incoming calls when the locking function is switched on.
The user interfaces of mobile station apparatuses as well as the uses thereof have lately been developed and diversified to a great extent. Information that may be interesting for the users can be stored in the memory of the apparatuses. What is also possible in a prior art mobile station apparatus is to retrieve information onto the apparatus display, for example from the Internet through a WAP browser, or to receive electronic mail and text messages.
However, in prior art portable mobile station apparatuses, the method for retrieving information onto the apparatus display comprises several consecutive phases, such as using keystrokes and/or employing several menus and submenus for retrieving the desired information. To retrieve a simple piece of information, such as a date, onto the display requires several consecutive keystrokes before obtaining the desired information onto the display. When the keypad lock is switched on, the retrieval of information becomes even more difficult, as the desired information cannot be retrieved before the keypad lock is switched off.